Zelenskyy says Ukraine will hit Russian refineries over Kyiv strike doctrine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters that Ukraine will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries after what he called a new Russian airstrike doctrine meant to force people out of Kyiv and other cities. The Kremlin was not available to comment. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would keep launching retaliatory strikes and again urged foreigners to leave Kyiv.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters on Saturday that Ukraine will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries. He said the move answers what he called a new Russian airstrike doctrine meant to push people out of Kyiv and other cities.
What Zelenskyy said: Ukrainian intelligence has documents showing Vladimir Putin ordered attacks on a wider set of civilian targets ahead of winter, Zelenskyy said in the interview. "To pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities: this is the goal of the operation," he told Reuters. He said Ukraine would hit energy that funds Russia's war, "first of all, oil refiners," and would not target civilian objects the way he accused Moscow of doing.
Russia's response: The Kremlin was not available to comment Saturday, Reuters reported. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the military would keep launching systematic retaliatory strikes on Kyiv and other cities and again urged foreigners and diplomats to leave. Late last month, a U.S. official told the New York Post that Putin had privately warned Washington he would escalate after Ukraine's refinery strikes, saying "now it's our turn." Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Why it matters
Last month President Donald Trump told Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian diesel refineries, saying the strikes were driving a global diesel shortage and U.S. pump prices, Fox News and Reuters reported. Zelenskyy said Saturday he had seen no sign Putin wants peace talks or an energy ceasefire.
What’s next
Watch further Ukrainian strikes on Russian refining, any White House reaction given Trump's diesel warning, winter missile stockpiles Russia is said to have built up, and whether UAE technical talks or a G20 meeting produce a date.
More context
Front and capital: Zelenskyy said Ukraine's "Vivaldi" counteroffensive had retaken about 140 square kilometers in Donbas and was ongoing — a claim US Brief has not independently verified. Over the past week Russia has hit Kyiv energy, telecom, road and rail sites and, for the first time, bridges across the Dnipro, Reuters and DW reported.
7 listed sources
- Reuters (Daniel Flynn, Olena Harmash et al.) via MarketScreener / ThePrint, Oct 3, 2026: Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes, Zelenskiy says
- Reuters via The Straits Times, Oct 3–4, 2026: Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes
- DW (Nik Martin, Wesley Dockery, Dharvi Vaid Dhulia with AFP and Reuters), Oct 3, 2026: Ukraine to step up oil attacks as Russia hits Kyiv bridges
- Fox News (Stephen Sorace), Sep 13, 2026: Trump tells Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian diesel refineries
- New York Post, Sep 25, 2026: Putin plots payback for Ukraine energy attacks, tells US: 'Now it's our turn'
- Reuters, Oct 3, 2026: Russia pledges to continue massive strikes on Kyiv, urges foreign diplomats to leave city
- Sourcing note: Lead is a Reuters exclusive interview. DW and Straits Times carry the same wire with additional bridge/Moldova context. Fox covers Trump's earlier request that Ukraine stop hitting Russian diesel refineries. Russian MFA leave-Kyiv statement is same-day wire reporting. Zelenskyy's claim of obtained 'new doctrine' documents is attributed; Reuters did not publish the documents. NY Post (Sep 25) reported, citing a U.S. official, Putin's private warning of escalation after refinery strikes. Re-checked 2:05 PM PT Oct 3: Reuters exclusive also carried by Arab News and Ukrinform; no Kremlin comment found; no new Fox/NY Post story on Saturday's interview found.
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Lead: Reuters exclusive interview (Daniel Flynn, Olena Harmash et al.), Oct 3, 2026 — Zelenskyy on refinery response, 'new doctrine' documents claim, Vivaldi ~140 km², Trump oil-hit request, G20/UAE talks notes, FP-7/FP-9, Europe $27B gap. DW (with AFP/Reuters), Oct 3 — same exclusive plus Northern/Southern Bridge and Moldova airspace. Straits Times Reuters reprint. Fox News (Stephen Sorace), Sep 13, 2026 — Trump told Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian diesel refineries. Russian MFA same-day leave-Kyiv warning already covered in world-russia-diplomats-kyiv-warning; cited here for Moscow's response framing. Caveats: Zelenskyy's 'new doctrine' docs not released publicly; Kremlin unavailable; Vivaldi claim attributed; both sides deny deliberate civilian targeting. Re-check 2:05 PM PT: no Kremlin reply yet; added NY Post Sep 25 (U.S. official: Putin said "now it's our turn"). Bullet removeIds set to oldest world item world-nk-wonsan-missile (Oct 2, 10:10 PM PT) to keep World at 7.
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